The mental health of youth is in an ongoing national emergency due to various factors such as increased social isolation, increased use of artificial intelligence, and a decrease in face-to-face support. These stressors, combined with the demands of school; stressors caused by climate change; and uncertainty about the future all increase the stress and mental health issues faced by youth.
Although Youth Mental Health needs both youth and adult support, and existing resources are limited. However, several states have made significant investments to establish collaborations and partnerships among different sectors (i.e., governmental agencies) to enhance or create effective crisis response and prevention systems that address youths’ mental health issues throughout the state.
For example, Arizona collaborated with the JED Foundation to provide training to school-based mental health professionals on how to identify students at risk for suicide and respond appropriately, effectively utilizing existing staff as school-based first responders in recognizing and responding to the mental health needs of at-risk students. Hundreds of Texas school districts have developed a District Mental Health Initiative to coordinate, develop, and sustain psychiatric or mental health systems for schools to provide mental health services and ensure mental health is focused on through education, counseling and crisis management.
The report states that, “Most improvement in the area of youth mental health occurs when schools, families, and community partners work together to share the responsibility of creating successful youth mental health systems.” This will be accomplished by allowing young people to have adequate sleeping time; spending quality time with family/friends/community; and having opportunities to express themselves artistically.
Additionally, while allowing young people a voice in decisions that affect youth mental health (i.e., social media policies, design of campus wellness spaces) will have a positive impact. JED’s Chief Executive Officer indicates that young people do not view themselves as victims; they are empowered advocates who are leading the way in protecting youth mental health in 2023 and beyond.
Source: The Jed Foundation – Anticipated Youth Mental Health Trends in 2026
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